Industrial tonality is everywhere we look and listen in the single and music video for “Robot M 2052,” but as much as I think this narrative of this track can be centered on the inhuman, there’s something very natural about some of its best moments – melodies included. When Bobby and the Crew got together to make this track, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that they were aiming to make something just a bit more immersive and inspired than what the status quo calls for in both their scene and the larger genre in general, and to me, they hit the mark and then some. There’s something quite intriguing about the juxtaposition of light and dark in this performance, and had I not known better, I would have assumed this track to be the cornerstone of a much more progressive piece.
Lyrically speaking, I think quite a bit to be impressed by in “Robot M 2052” if you’re interpreting the narrative from a postmodern position. There are a couple of different ways you can break down the main story being told from behind the mic, but from where I sit as a critic I think the underlying political themes are the hardest to escape in this instance. So much of what Bobby and the Crew are speaking to in this performance relates to the existential and, to a larger degree, the surroundings they’re faced with as artists, and it’s to this end that the verses form a bit of a protest against conventionality, as opposed to supporting its very existence through the construction of this hook.
In terms of what makes the substance of this single stick, I think that the war between the groove and the melodies makes for the most exciting point of interest in “Robot M 2052.” It’s obvious that these players know each other’s limits, but they’re testing the boundaries quite willingly with the tempo of this performance. Rather than trying to cut into each other’s presence, it’s as though the drums and the bass are racing each other towards the finish line in an effort to capture our affections as quickly as possible. It’s an adrenaline rush for the musicians, but even more so for the listeners who are held captive by the spellbinding stylization of the material.
If this is on par with what we should be anticipating from Bobby and the Crew the next time they step out of the recording studio then I will say now that they’re not going to have nearly as hard a time getting into the American indie spotlight as some of their Scandinavian contemporaries have in the last few years. This is a good look for any band, but when taking into account the lack of strong crossovers from Europop artists who have had an inclination toward industrial music, this is an even more exclusive treasure that has the potential to bring a lot of attention to the players who have created it this summer.
Cleopatra Patel
The music of Bobby and The Crew has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division. Learn more https://musikandfilm.com